A possible reason WHY Voinovich let Bolton reach the Senate floor

[knight_of_the_star]

It would be nice if someone could back me up on him being someone who gambles or not, but I think the reason he is doing this is because he is truly becoming increasingly concerned with the direction that the GOP is taking. If the Reich Wing suffers a serious defeat publicly in foreign policy, especially hard on the heels of Social Security going down in flames and the nuclear option turning into a dud, then it might arrest the direction they have the country going in and turn it around.

Think about it.

Which will garner more media attention:

A Bush nominee being shut down in committee, or a Bush nominee given the boot by the Senate that is supposedly on L'Empeurer Pantalonlapin's side on this and many other major issues. Voinovich knows this, and he is trying to get back the GOP that he joined when he was a young man, not fight for the GOP that is a puppet of modern Christian nazis. I doubt he will win in the short run, but we should take any open shot that we can.

These guys have dropped their guard and when you combine this with stem cells, the nuke being a dud, the inevitable Downing Street memo, and the Social Security flameout, these guys are opening themselves up to be knocked out and lose control of the flow of the debate if we can only take the opportunity.

[housewolf]

1. I think Senator Voinovich has traveled some around the world

in recent days and has been shocked and stunned by what has happened to out reputation across the world. I think he honestly sees Bolton as someone who can only further erode out relations.

I hope he is successful in recruiting some others of his party to stand with him.

[SeattleGirl]

4. Indeed

He truly seemed shocked, which is what happens when one emerges from the cave and runs head-on into reality. Bolton aside, I hope Voinovich can maybe persuade some of his fellow R's to check out different places so that they, too, can see what he saw, and hear what he heard. When he got choked up near the end of his speech, I think he was genuinely hurt at what he found, and that America is no longer seen in as favorable light as it once was.

[mmonk]

5. A son of a friend of mine,

had a senior trip abroad and just got back from the UK. They asked him how he liked it and he said it was awful and he wouldn't go back. He said he was spit on, had things thrown at him, and some lady came up and started hitting him with her pocketbook.

Point being, this was a group of high school kids visiting the UK. Not some adult tourist in a hostile country. That's pretty sad.

So if Voinovich has travelled lately, then he knows we're alone and hated.

[SeattleGirl]

7. Yikes!

What an awful thing to experience! And very sad too, for now it appears that instead of just detesting the * Administration, it's spilling over on the rest of us.

[mmonk]

11. Yep

I imagine alot of them were happy, excited, and naive upon their arrival. Now they aren't. I'm sure it was quite a learning experience. It won't be long before our business people start feeling a chill I bet when they do international business.

[MsUSA]

15. 4 of us went to Ireland at the end of October 2001. Almost everyone

we came in contact with for the 14 days we were there hugged us and said how sorry they were for us and the United States. Then in July of 2003 a teacher friend of mine along with 15 students went to Ireland and England for a trip and were told to split up in groups of 5 (three students in each group) because it wasn't safe being in big groups of Americans. My friend said they were getting things stolen and given dirty looks, it was just a terrible experience. She said she wouldn't go back either, and our university has had this program set up with Ireland/England forever.

[mmonk]

19. Sad

[KaliTracy]

2. I hope you are right. I just saw the end clip, and he seemed quite

sincere in his concerns (he's one of my Senators BTW).

[Psephos]

3. Voinovich is putting the country ahead of the party

I wish more Senators (and more citizens) would learn from his example.

I watched him on CSPAN today, and thought for a minute that maybe the Senate isn't a complete lair of snakes after all...then I watched Coleman after him, and was snapped back to reality.

In any case, Voinovich deserves respect for his principled stand.

Peace.

[Nite Owl]

6. I think you could be right.

Is there information that the committee had that would not have gotten to the entire Senate if it hadn't come to the floor? If so this might be how he plans to get things public.

[housewolf]

9. YeaH - he offered a juicy tidbit to senators who would come to his office

he wouldn't talk about it publically and so far no one has been talking about what it is.

[Goldeneye]

8. If he is sincerely trying to change the direction of the party...which

I don't think he is...he could become an independent and say its because of all the crazy radicals running the GOP. That will probaly never happen and Bolton will almost certainly get confirmed. I don't think Voinovich has seen the light yet.

[housewolf]

10. "Never underestime the ability of one committed person

to change the world"...

Such hopeful words from Margaret Meade.

I chose to chose hope wherever I can find it even if disappointment results over hanging out with cynicism and negativism - but it's hard work, I must admit. There's a shortage of things to find hope from, these days.

Voinovich, however, is one I can find some hope in - at least in regards to Bolton, if not anything else.

[knight_of_the_star]

12. Which gets more attention

A non-Republican going after other Republicans or a Republican doing the same thing? Why do you think they didn't let Zellout switch parties? Hurts more to have opposition within the ranks in terms of image because the opposition without SHOULD be going after you anyway.

[Goldeneye]

14. I thought a guy leaving the party he has spent his whole political

life in, because its run by right wing zealots would've been pretty dramatic. I guess that's debatable.

[bunny planet]

16. Yes I agree. What is stopping him from becoming an Independent.

Also, if he does have information on Bolton that will affect his nomination, he has an obligation to make it public. When do the voters who put these people in office get a chance to hear the truth.

Spill your secret Bolton story Senator Voinavich. The American people need you to do everything in your power to stop this nomination from being confirmed. Tell us what you know.

[LittleWoman]

13. I'm not sure what is motivating Voinovich

but it seems to me that if you want to kill the Bolton nomination once and for all it needs to be put to a vote in the Senate otherwise it will just be submitted again as were the federal judge nominations. The other possibility is that Bolton could be appointed during a recess and not need to be confirmed by the Senate. If the appointment loses on a up or down vote in the Senate then the guy is truly gone. Voinovich certainly is trying his best to keep Bolton from getting confirmed and I have no doubt that there is some serious pressure on him at this time. Voinovich was re-elected in 2004 with a fairly hefty majority that I believe is real for the most part as he is still popular in Ohio. I am not sure how old he is, but perhaps he feels this is his last term as a Senator and he wants to make his place in history. I have a lot of mixed feelings about Voinovich going back for a number of years so I am not sure what he is really up to.

[bunny planet]

17. Voinovich also voted for Owen. I don't know how her appointment isn't

scary for his children and grandchildren.

[Coexist]

18. In the committee debates, I saw Voinovich go from certain yes

to no - to yes with no confidence. I read about how both Bush and Cheney called him the evening before the committee vote. Watching the vote, how the "yes" was completely a sham - I really got the feeling he was pressured into this "compromise".

It was almost the same upordownvote argument that he must've gotten. "Let Bolton go to the floor and let the Senate decide - give him a fair upordownvote yadayadayada."

Maybe his reaction yesterday was partly from regret. Maybe not. My .02

(edited for stupid spelling error)